McGee kept staring at the blank paper in his typewriter. He had every intention of finishing the scene between Tommy and LJ Tibbs, but the words just wouldn’t come to him tonight. He’d put a whole array of photos of Gibbs and Tony up on the bulletin board in front of him, seeking inspiration. Most of them were taken by Abby at different occasions; company picnics, Christmas parties and an inter agency football match a couple of years ago. He’d hooked his laptop up to his flat screen TV to be able to zoom in on details. He preferred to use his typewriter for the actual writing, but still needed his laptop for research.
Focusing on a particular series from the football match, he opened the file and leaned forward, studying the images closely. They’d just beaten Fornell’s team with Tony scoring the winning touchdown. He could see the FBI agent fuming in the background, captured on film by Abby, as he was arguing with the official. Tony had his arm thrown over Gibbs’ shoulder as they walked off the field. The two agents looked at each other, grinning broadly. Tony looked happy and relaxed, something that had been missing the last couple of weeks.
He closed the file and opened one from the NCIS picnic last year. Flipping through the images, he saw nothing of interest at first; they were just random snapshots. A picture of Gibbs talking to a secretary from legal caught his attention. The woman was a lovely redhead, with long wavy hair and a curvy figure. And flirty. McGee smiled, she was definitely coming on to Gibbs. Although she didn’t seem to get the response she expected, given Gibbs’ reputation for favoring redheads. He found a later shot of her leaving with another agent, and remembered seeing something about an engagement in last month’s newsletter.
A figure in the background caught his attention and he zoomed in, until Tony’s face filled the screen. He tapped a few keys and the image cleared up. Tony was watching Gibbs and the redhead intently, his eyes seemed glued to Gibbs’ face. They were dark, filled with an emotion McGee couldn’t quite define. Shocked, McGee suddenly recognized it as longing. But why would he…
“Holy…no…nonononooo! Not possible,” he muttered. Or could it be? He straightened up. This was a mission worthy of 007. The problem was, how on earth should he spy on Tony without him finding out?
******
“You have anything planned this weekend, Tony? I don’t want to…”
“No plans,” Tony interrupted. “Besides, nothing’s more important than this.”
“Thanks,” Gibbs replied quietly. “I really appreciate this. It’s way beyond the call of duty.”
“Listen, Jethro. You’re my boss, but you’re also my friend. Of course I’m doing this. You’d do this for me, right?”
“What, if one of your many thousand girlfriends decide it was time to…”
“Hey, I may date a lot, but not as much as I make it out to be. I just like yanking Probie’s chain, that’s all.” Tony looked out the window. “I haven’t been on a date in ages, anyway. No chance of any lunatics at my door,” he muttered.
“Any reason for this lack of dating?” Gibbs looked curious as he leaned forward a little.
Tony got up. “Look,” he said, “I’m kinda tired. You mind if we call it a night?”
“I’m sorry, Tony. Sit down, please.” Gibbs got up and squeezed Tony’s shoulder, urging him to sit back down. After a moments thought, Tony relented and slumped back down onto the couch.
“Listen, I don’t wanna be cooped up here on our weekend off.” Gibbs ran a hand through his hair. “How about we find something to do tomorrow, something fun.”
“Alright,” Tony smiled. “Your kind of fun, or mine?” he smirked. “As long as it doesn’t involve the great outdoors.”
“Or shopping,” Gibbs interjected.
“How about sailing?” Tony looked at Gibbs. “You do know how to sail, right? Those boats in your basement aren’t just for show, I hope.”
“I’m a Marine, Tony, I can do anything.”
“Sailing it is, then.”
“You wanna watch a movie, or something?”
“On that relic?” Tony looked openly skeptical as he eyed Gibbs’ TV. “You really should think about getting a plasma TV, Boss, this is…”
“The news it is then.” Gibbs went for the remote, but wasn’t quite quick enough. Tony snatched it off the table and started flipping channels. A couple of minutes later he settled on a Bond movie.
“Dr. No, Boss. Sean Connery as Bond and Ursula Andress in a bikini. Doesn’t get much better than that,” he grinned, doing his best Connery impression.
Gibbs just chuckled and went to the kitchen, getting cold beers and a bowl of pretzels.
******
Tony had trouble sleeping. He couldn’t quite wrap his head around the events of the day. Or night. The excerpt he’d found in Tim’s trash had really thrown him. He refused to think about the implications. McGee couldn’t know. It had to be payback for the profile he’d put up on the online dating service. But who could’ve known the geek angle would be such a babe magnet?
He got up, wanted to take a quick tour around the house. No matter what Gibbs said, he needed to make sure everything was quiet.
Muffled sounds drifting through the partially open door to Gibbs’ bedroom caught his attention. He walked over, popping his head around the opening. The room was shrouded in darkness, except from a single lit candle on the dresser. Not one of the red ones, this one was a simple crystal candleholder. The faint glow made it possible for Tony to see Gibbs. He was lying on his back, one arm thrown over his face. He’d kicked off the covers and Tony could see he was only wearing a pair of boxers.
Gibbs was mumbling in his sleep and moving restlessly about. Tony hated to see him like this. Every cell in his body wanted to reach out, smooth that damp hair away from his forehead and ease away the tension. He settled for sitting down in a chair by the bed, wanting to be close if Gibbs remained in his nightmare. Curling his legs under him, he tucked a throw pillow under his head, shifting around a bit to get comfortable. Gibbs quieted down in his sleep, lying perfectly still. Tony felt a sense of calm envelop him and he drifted off.
“Why are you here, Tony?” The whispered question took him by surprise; he hadn’t noticed Gibbs was awake.
“I…I heard sounds. I needed to make sure you were ok.”
“Not that. I wanna know why you’re here tonight.”
“You called, Jethro, remember?” Tony leaned back in the chair again, wondering where Gibbs was going with this.
“But why did you stay? There was nothing for you to do.” Gibbs kicked himself free of the comforter tangled around his ankles. His skin looked pale against the dark blue sheets.
“You want me to leave?” Tony couldn’t quite keep the hurt and disappointment out of his voice.
“Did I say that?”
“No, but…”
“No ‘buts’ Tony, no glib remarks. Just answer me.”
Gibbs turned on his side, facing Tony. In the dimly lit room he could barely make him out.
“I need to be here, Jethro.” Tony closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of the chair. “I have to have your six.”
Gibbs smiled; a smile that slowly spread across his face. It lit up his face, and Tony felt it light up the room. He winced inwardly. Badass federal agents shouldn’t be so sappy.
“I know,” he said.
“You keep saying that, Jethro. What is it that you know, exactly.”
“How you feel.” He raised himself upon one elbow, and held Tony’s gaze. “I need you close, too, Tony, when things get rough. You’re the one I trust, the one I…,” he trailed off. He seemed to make a decision.
“Will you sleep in here tonight, Tony?”
Momentarily stunned, Tony froze, not knowing how to reply. Did he mean…?
“To sleep, for now,” Gibbs added.
Pushing himself off the chair, Tony walked to the bed and waited as Gibbs scooted over, making room for him. He felt like he was watching the entire scene from afar, the thought of sharing a bed with Gibbs was so surreal, he wasn’t sure he’d believe it in the morning.
The bed was warm and the sheets were wonderfully soft against his naked skin. He was completely enveloped in Gibbs’ scent as he sank back into the pillows, every muscle relaxing as he settled in. Turning on his side to face Gibbs, he realized just how worn out the older man looked.
“She has you really rattled, this time, doesn’t she?”
“That’s not it, Tony, not really. I keep thinking, did I do this to her, did I turn her into this possessed creature? Do I push the people I care about away?”
“That’s bullshit, Jethro. How can you even say that?” Tony reached out and ran his hand across a slightly stubbled cheek.
“Three ex-wives, Tony. Not exactly the best track record.”
“True,” Tony smiled. “Look, It’s been a long day, Gibbs, a long week for that matter. It’s not the time for serious soul searching. Sleep on it. Remember, you get to boss me around all day long tomorrow, that’s gotta put you in a good mood, huhn?”
Gibbs laughed and seemed to relax again. Tony felt himself drift off again when he felt Gibbs pull him close. Throwing an arm around his waist, Tony fell asleep almost instantly.
The next morning Gibbs was already gone when Tony woke up. He grabbed a quick shower and headed downstairs. The smell of coffee wafted into the hall and he found Gibbs sitting by the kitchen table, reading the morning paper and clearly savoring the cup of coffee he was holding.
“Sleep well?” he asked, as Tony raided the fridge and poured himself a glass of juice.
“Yeah, you?” Tony shot a furtive glance at Gibbs, trying to gouge what he was thinking.
“Well, you snore, DiNozzo!”
“Do not,” he protested indignantly.
Gibbs just cocked an eyebrow and drank his coffee. Sitting down by the table, Tony helped himself to a toasted bagel, suddenly feeling very hungry.
“You ready to leave?” he asked, finishing a second bagel.
A couple of minutes later they were headed out the front door. Tony carried their bags while Gibbs grabbed the car keys off the hall table.
“Fucking hell!” Tony couldn’t believe his eyes. “My car…who the hell has done this to my car?!” Gibbs walked up to him and swore under his breath as he saw the carnage in front of him.
Someone had slashed all four tires on Tony’s pride and joy.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.